Following on from the 52 tyre shootout, Auto Bild have taken the twenty best tyres through a full array of wet, dry, NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) and wear tests.

As a change from the usual FWD hatchback used for testing, Auto Bild tested the 225/50 R17 size using a RWD BMW 3 Series.

As there are a lot of tyres on test, we will keep the commentary to a minimum and just provide the key data and final results. It is worth keeping in mind, only the Kumho in twentieth place was classified as "not recommended" due to a weak wet performance, and the Yokohama in nineteenth place "conditionally recommended", again for a poor wet performance. All the other tyres at least achieved a "recommended" rating.

One of the unique tests Auto Bild perform is a wear test. Continental, who have struggled in the past with average wear seem to have fixed their only problem, and now have a tyre that has wet grip, dry grip and excellent wear properties.

The Results

The full results are below, with the data underneath the results. Please note, the "cost" field relates to the purchase price VS predicted miles.

Positive: Very good premium tire with no obvious weaknesses, good handling on wet and dry surfaces, precise steering response and good feedback, very high resistance to aquaplaning, good wearNegative: Relatively high rolling resistanceOverall: Exemplary

Positive: Balanced performance and good handling in all conditions, short braking distances on dry and wet surfaces, good comfort, low rolling resistance, well priced Negative: Average wearOverall: Exemplary

Positive: The highest resistance to aquaplaning, good handling and short braking distances on wet roadsNegative: Inaccurate response to steering and a tendency to understeer on dry surfaces, average travel comfort, increased rolling resistance Overall: Recommended